They say that Ireland has more writers per capita than any other country, right? And that St. Paul has more Irish people than any other ethnicity? (Except possibly Hispanic and German, but never mind.) So it makes sense that this weekend's Irish Fair on Harriet Island will add a Literary Corner to its demonstrations of dancing, music, sheepherding, rope-pulling and hurley.

From the days of the traveling story tellers, the seanachies, the spoken and written word has been vital to Irish society. The writers chosen for this year's Literary Corner are all storytellers--fiction, poetry, memoir. Each one has some connection to Ireland, and each will do a brief chat about their lives and work and then will do a short reading.

The Literary Corner will be held in the Pavilion, and the Eoin McKiernan Speakers Tent--a different and longstanding literary tradition at the fair--will continue as usual.

Here's the lineup:

Richard Broderick, poet, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Carol Connolly, poet,1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday

Irish dancers leaped for joy when they found out that writers would be reading at this year's fair. (Or maybe they were just leaping.) Star Tribune file photo by David Brewster.

Mike Faricy, fiction, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Mike Finley, poetry, noon and 4 p.m. Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. Sunday

Erin Hart, fiction, 2 p.m. Saturday,

Amanda Hughes, historical fiction: 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday.

Ethna McKiernan, poetry, 3 p.m. Sunday

Paddy O'Brien, memoir and poetry, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday.

Jim Rogers, nonfiction and poetry, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday

Sarah Stonich, fiction, 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. Sunday